Tilburg has been announced as the host of the 2018 European Cross-Country Championships ©European Athletics

Tilburg has been announced as the host of the 2018 European Cross-Country Championships.

The European Athletics Council ratified the decision to award the Dutch city the event at their meeting in Lausanne today.

It will be the first time The Netherlands will stage the Championships since Tilburg previously held the event back in 2005.

"We congratulate the Dutch delegation for the excellent quality of their bid and are very confident that the strong tradition for cross-country in Tilburg will help to host a memorable European Championships in 2018," said Svein Arne Hansen, European Athletics President.

Tilburg annually organises the International Warandecross, a European Athletics cross-country meeting.

This year’s edition of event is scheduled to take place on November 28.

European Athletics stated that the Dutch Athletics Federation demonstrated their passion and desire to host the Cross-Country Championships following their successful staging of last summer’s European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam.

This year’s European Championships are due to be held in Chia in Italy, with Šamorín in Slovakia holding the event in 2017.

The House of European Athletics was opened yesterday in Lausanne ©European Athletics
The House of European Athletics was opened yesterday in Lausanne ©European Athletics

The award to Tilburg was made at the House of European Athletics, which was officially inaugurated with celebrations yesterday.

The celebrations were attended by representatives from most European member federations and prestigious sporting dignitaries, including International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

"The opening of our new home perpetuates our excellent year with the successful staging of the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam," said Hansen.

"I was elected as President with the promise to lead change in athletics and now we have the foundations to deliver the changes I had promised.

"This is just the beginning of what is still yet to come."

Two floors of the building, which is located near Lausanne train station, are dedicated to European Athletics’ offices.

It has been claimed that the architects in charge of the project were asked to pay close attention to minimise the impact on the environment, with a green ‘living’ roof and solar panels included on the building.